The present invention identifies Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Raven’ as a distinct cultivar in the family Taxodiaceae. The novel characteristics of this cultivar include an extremely uniform pyramidal form with a low branching habit, deeply furrowed, convoluted buttressed bark and fast growth rate. The convoluted bark gives this tree a distinctive “ancient” appearance. The ‘Raven’ redwood tree exhibits less variation in these characteristics that the common Metasequoia glyptostroboides and retains these desirable characteristics through asexual propagation.
The new cultivar ‘Raven’ was noted by Steven D. Cline growing in St. Louis, Mo. as a member of a group of seven redwood trees planted in 1952. The ‘Raven’ cultivar is unique amongst these seven trees being more uniformly pyramidal in habit at maturity (60 years) and displaying distinctive and attractive bark patterns with deep, netted convolutions that give this cultivar a notable ornamental appearance. In addition, the branching pattern of this cultivar is also distinctive; uniform from the lowest branch to the peak both in spiral distribution and vertical spacings around the trunk. These characteristics contrast with species and known cultivars of Metasequoia glyptostroboides whose branching patterns are more random, less uniform in spacing and with irregular outline from bottom to the top. The deeply fissured bark of ‘Raven’ is also notable in contrast to species and other cultivars becoming very distinctive in this regard extending from the base into the upper canopy to about 20 feet.